


Bonding

by crowsaerie



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:53:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28577058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowsaerie/pseuds/crowsaerie
Summary: Illyane and Estinien attempt to find a solution to a recurring problem.
Relationships: Estinien Wyrmblood/Original Character(s), Estinien Wyrmblood/Original Female Character(s), Warrior of Light/Estinien Wyrmblood
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Bonding

There wasn't much she could see from the highest reaches of Foundation, even as she leaned over the stone railing and peered into the dense fog below. Ishgard must have been built in defiance of dragons, Illyane thought, as it was so far up in the air, in an already frigid region. She couldn't think of any other reason.

  
Turning her back to the abyss, she leaned against the railing, her gaze trailing up the road between Houses Haillenarte and Fortemps. There it settled on an approaching figure. Illyane quirked a brow, recognizing him immediately against the grey background of the Holy See.

  
_Estinien._

  
She furrowed her brow, all at once feeling tense. Had he come to see her? It was true there was much they needed to talk about, but she wondered if either of them were ready for such a conversation. Her question was answered anyway, once he passed the doors of the high houses and sauntered down the steps toward her. He had indeed come to see her, but she noticed he wasn't looking her way. Even as he stopped just a few feet in front of her, his eyes were elsewhere, staring off into the distant sky- or perhaps at someone else. Illyane couldn't tell.

  
Gently, she called his name. Still he didn't look at her. She didn't know what else to say.

  
"What's-"

  
"We should talk."

  
Illyane felt her heart sink into her stomach; that was never a good phrase to hear. It meant she had done something wrong, something that upset him. Estinien was always upfront about things that made him angry- especially when it was meddling moogles- but when it came to her, he started to become careful. Gentle. Like she was a hundred times more fragile than she actually was. Was she beginning to chase him away?

  
Tearing herself from her ruminations, Illyane answered, albeit hesitantly. "Sure, anything. What is this about?"

  
He moved to her side, facing out toward the misty sky, keeping the city at his back. He still didn't look at her, so she couldn't read his face. He was a little too tall to lean against the railing comfortably, so he simply folded his arms and stood in place.

  
Estinien sighed. "Your recklessness."

  
Her expression softened as she realized just what he was referring to. Days before, he had pulled her from the brink of death. Not only had she worn herself ragged battling Elidibus-turned-Zenos, her consciousness was stolen away to another world, if for but a brief moment. Were it not for Estinien's timely interference, the ascian would have dealt the killing blow then and there.

  
Estinien was more shaken up by it all than Illyane initially thought. Carefully, she reached out and touched his arm, and he did not shrink away like she expected he would.

  
"I know what you mean, but I didn't have a choice."

  
"That's the problem. You think you don't have a choice, but you _do_." He turned his head slightly toward her, and she could see his eye, peering down at her from behind a mess of silver locks. "You do, Illyane."

  
"But I _don't_. Don't you understand? The Scions were taken, and my friends were in danger- Eorzea besides... I couldn't sit and do nothing!"

  
Another sigh from him. He raised his head, staring out at the towering pillars. He uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on the railing, gripping it tightly.

  
"I know. I'm not going to ask you to quit your duty, to let someone else save the world... much as I would want to."

"Then what _do_ you want me to do?"

  
She didn't realize how desperate for an answer she appeared. Her hand gripped his sleeve and she turned to him. He canted his head toward her in response, settling his eyes on hers. Grey, and full of storms, they were.

  
His voice was quiet, yet heavy with emotion. _"Rely on me."_

  
The silence that followed was thick as the fog beyond the city. She stared into his eyes, her own growing wet as she blinked repeatedly. She hoped he thought it was the wind, and not the onset of tears. _How she wanted to hear this..._

  
_... and yet._

  
"I never know how to _find_ you, let alone..." She drew in a breath.

  
Finally, he faced her, and she felt his left hand settle on her right shoulder. Gently, he stroked it with a thumb. After he hung the title of Azure Dragoon on the mantle, he spent his newfound freedom traveling the world, that was true. Illyane hadn't seen him much following her departure from Ishgard, as she was called into duty again. Their meetings were few and far between after that, and they both had barely any time for each other. She feared it would drive an immobile wedge between them, and feared even more that this was what he wanted to talk to her about.

  
"I know." He said, keeping his eyes steady on her. "I wanted to change that... at least for you. Somehow."

  
Her lips parted, as if to ask him a question, but she couldn't seem to muster her voice. He continued.

  
"The least I can do is let you know where I'll be."

  
She quirked a brow, cracking a half-hearted, but hopeful smile. "You don't have to feel obligated-"

  
"No, no. I want to. I know it would give you peace of mind."

  
He was right, it would- even though she feared something bad would come of it. A linkpearl would make things easier, though she knew he didn't carry one. Letters, too, could be intercepted and used to make them vulnerable. She understood his misgivings, and his reasoning to make his contact with her personal. Estinien aimed to be a hard man to find, and she didn't want to force him to compromise.

  
Then, all of a sudden, she had an idea.

  
"No, it's alright. You can do this instead."

  
She placed her right hand over his, lifting it off her shoulder and holding it over the crystalline amulet that hung around her neck. Estinien, of course, seemed incredibly confused by this, his eyes flitting from her hand to her face.

  
"Attune to this shard." She said, attempting to encourage him with her smile. "Then you can come to me whenever you'd like."

  
Again he looked at her hand, then above it to the thin, black ribbon from which hung the shard in question. Finally, his eyes rose to hers, as he tried to read the mixture of hope and worry on her face.

  
"You're sure about this?" He asked.

  
She nodded. "I want you to be able to choose."

  
He didn't need to hear anything more. Focusing his aether, he willed it to mingle with Illyane's crystal until, at last, he was able to memorize its particular frequency. A soft chime sounded in the air, and with a faint flash of light, it was done.

  
"Now," she took in a breath, "you know how to find me. And, if you want, you can... tell me what you've been up to, when you arrive."

  
She smiled, a silly smile that spelled happiness and relief. Estinien couldn't help but smile as well, though faint, as he placed his hand on her collarbone once she released him. The coarse texture of his glove rose goosebumps on her skin as he drew his hand from her neck to her jaw. His thumb brushed her cheek for a beat, then he leaned in to kiss her. 

  
Warmth blossomed in her ribcage, her hands fumbling to find his chest as he moved in close. He kissed her again, deeper this time, his breath a breeze that tickled her cheek. She gripped his shirt, rising up on the toes of her boots as she pressed back against him. A third kiss, then a fourth, and then she stopped counting as his fingers ran up through her hair from the back of her neck. 

  
He lingered on her lips a moment longer, before finally pulling back. Smiling at her, he gently bumped his head against hers, sliding his hand off her cheek and back to his side as he rose to his full height.

  
"I'll be sure to use it wisely." He said at last.

  
"I trust you." She answered, and he could tell she meant it.

  
They stood together for a moment longer, until it came the time to depart. He walked her back to the Fortemps Manor, leaving her with a lingering, farewell touch down her arm. Estinien had places to be, and though they were a mystery to her, she was linked to him, now. That, alone, was enough.


End file.
